But she didn’t realize that I had to do this. Taking care of Sadie was my only mission. I was never going to be whole until I made sure that she was protected.
I pulled back and studied Mom. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”
She studied me and then slowly nodded.
She swiped the tears off her face. “I’m just worried about you, that’s all,” she said softly as she reached up to pat my cheek.
I reached up and gathered her hand in mine. “I know,” I whispered.
Dad must have sensed what was going on and swooped in to whisk Mom away and say hello to a few visiting friends.
Now alone, I grabbed my iced tea and another cookie and headed over to a nearby tree. I leaned against the trunk as I mindlessly stared at the churchgoers who wandered around the lawn.
The worry in Mom’s voice followed me. I knew she thought she’d finally gotten me back, but that wasn’t the case. I was still lost.
And I was becoming more certain that the only way to find myself again was through Sadie.
Letting her go was the furthest thing from my mind.
Chapter 5
Sadie
Because of the holiday, the restaurant was packed for lunch. Which meant I ran until my feet hurt and then ran some more during the rush. My lower back protested any movement, and I was pretty sure I could sleep until judgment day and it was only 4:30 in the afternoon.
I pulled into the sitter’s, ready to get my kid and head home. “Thanks so much, Franny.” I handed the woman a wad of cash. “I hope we didn’t mess up your plans.”
Franny waved me off. The grandmotherly woman wore a shirt covered in paint splatters and a big smile. “No way. He was a huge help. We’ve almost got the new office painted, don’t we, Parker?”
He nodded. “I stood on the ladder and got the high parts.”
Franny winked at me.
I smiled. My son had probably done his best to help. He’d always been like that. Bless Franny for making him feel like a contributor.
I yawned. “Sorry. I’m a little worn out.”
“Take the rest of the evening off. I know it’s called Labor Day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t relax. ” Franny chuckled and waved once more before heading inside.
I looked down at Parker, who looked up at me. He had a smear of light-blue paint across one cheek and a happy grin.
“Should we go home? School starts tomorrow.” My mind spun with the list of things to do before then. My new laptop was still in the box. Parker’s backpack and lunch box had tags on them, and I’d stupidly looked at first day of school lunch ideas on Pinterest and wanted to attempt at least one of the themed meals before my life got too crazy and I was no longer able to muster the energy to do so. I was sure it wasn’t going to be an everyday occurrence, but the first day seemed like the right time to at least try.
Parker nodded and then climbed in the car and buckled up. “Did you bring food?”
“Not today, sorry.” I cringed. Work allowed me one free meal per shift. I usually saved it to bring home and share with Parker. But all I’d wanted to do today was get home and put my feet up, so I’d skipped it altogether. I should have waited and saved myself from making something later on. It was a holiday. We should be partying it up. Instead, it would be a quiet evening at home for the two of us. I knew Parker would label my plans as bor-ing, but to me, it sounded like heaven.
As we drove home, there were signs of the holiday weekend all over town. Traffic was bad. Smoke billowed from barbecues. Families congregated together at parks.
I tried not to feel so alone, but it was difficult. My parents had gone on a South American tour for the summer. They wouldn’t be back for another couple weeks. And Adam’s family…well, they were about as dysfunctional as they come. They’d never taken an interest in me or Parker, and I was just fine with that. But, when it seemed the whole world was gathering with loved ones, it was hard not to notice what was lacking in my life.
“Can I play basketball when we get home?”
I glanced in the rearview mirror and then put my eyes back on the road. “We’ll see.”
The driveway was a neutral zone shared by me and Mason. Hanging out there increased the chance I’d bump into him. Which was a bad idea. Especially since I couldn’t get the image of him and all his bare-chested glory out of my head. Surely, if he looked me in the eye, he’d see my thoughts, and the last thing I needed was Mason knowing that I was attracted to him.
I slammed on the brakes, barely stopping at the light that had just turned red. I checked Parker, but he was looking out the window. I forced my fingers to let go of the wheel.
I was not attracted to Mason.
The fact that my heart raced and my thoughts scattered at the sight of him had nothing to do with the man and everything to do with the muscle.
Besides, just because he was hot—and I knew it—didn’t mean I had to act on it. I was a grown adult for heaven’s sake, not some hormone-filled teenager.
Cars lined our street, and I slowed to a crawl. Probably a family barbecue somewhere, maybe Walt’s house. He seemed like the type to gather grandkids around.
We pulled into the driveway and parked next to Mason’s patrol car.
Parker’s nose lifted. “What’s that smell?”
I moaned. “Grilled meat and charcoal.” It smelled so good. My stomach rumbled, and a beat later Parker’s did too. We locked eyes and laughed.
I opened the door and the sound of laughter rang out from the backyard. “Oh no,” I said under my breath. The party wasn’t at Walt’s, it was here. Which meant—
“Sadie!” Lottie, Mason’s youngest sister spotted me and waved. She bounced out of her chair and came over to say hi.
I didn’t have to force a smile. I really liked Lottie. I’d babysat her a couple times when I was in junior high and she was in elementary school. She gave me a quick hug and then fist-bumped Parker. “What’s up, little man?”
He shrugged, his eyes were glued on the huge barbecue where Mason and his dad were grilling burgers. Only these didn’t smell like the generic burgers I bought. These smelled like grade A, prime beef.
My mouth watered.
“Come over here and meet my fiancé.” She wiggled her fingers to show off her ring as she dragged me into the middle of the party, where her older brother Liam and another guy sat together on a couple of lounge chairs. A gorgeous woman sat next to Liam, her hand possessively resting on his arm.
“Jax, this is Sadie. Sadie, this is Jaxson Jagger. And you remember Liam. This is his new girlfriend,” she almost choked on the word, “Jessica.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” My hand disappeared inside of Jaxson’s for a brief moment, and I nodded to Jessica. I had a brief memory of the Jagger family moving in and moving out of town just as quickly. I didn’t think I’d actually ever spoken to the guy before.
“Hewo.” Mason’s niece, a darling little girl with pigtails, approached Parker with two pickleball rackets. “Do you want to play?”
Parker glanced at me to see if I had any protests. I did. I had a list thirty miles long. But the little girl was so darn cute I just couldn't bring myself to say no. “You must be Katie.” The niece who could lead Mason around by the nose. She nodded.